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Hubble Maps Pluto’s Changing Surface
These are two Hubble photo maps of the dwarf planet Pluto, as seen in 1994 and 2002-2003. Hubble's view isn't sharp enough to see craters or mountains, if they exist on the surface, but Hubble does reveal a complex-looking and variegated world with white and charcoal-black terrain. The white areas are surface frost, and the dark areas are a carbon-rich residue caused by sunlight breaking up methane that is present on Pluto's surface.
A comparison of the maps shows that Pluto's brightness has changed between 1994 and 2003. The northern pole is brighter and the southern hemisphere is darker. Summer is approaching Pluto's north pole, and this may cause surface ices to melt and refreeze in the colder shadowed portion of the planet.
The Hubble pictures underscore that Pluto is not simply a ball of ice and rock but a dynamic world that undergoes dramatic atmospheric changes. These atmospheric changes are driven by seasonal changes that are as much propelled by the planet's 248-year elliptical orbit as its axial tilt, unlike Earth where the tilt alone drives seasons.
The top picture was taken in 1994 by the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera. The bottom image was taken in 2002-2003 by the Advanced Camera for Surveys. The dark band at the bottom of each map is the region that was hidden from view at the time the data were taken.
About the Object
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.Pluto is on an eccentric orbit that varies between 29.6 AU and 49.3 AU from the Sun. The average distance during the time of these observations was 30.6 AU (Jan. 2003). In 2010, Pluto is 31.8 AU from the Sun and moving away. It will reach its furthest distance from the Sun in 2130.
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.The image was created from Hubble data from proposals 5330: A. Stern (Southwest Research Institute), L. Trafton (University of Texas, Austin), and M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute); and 9391: M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute), W. Grundy (Lowell Observatory), and E. Young, L. Young, and A. Stern (Southwest Research Institute). The science team comprises: M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute), W. Grundy (Lowell Observatory), and E. Young, L. Young, and A. Stern (Southwest Research Institute). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>FOC and HST>ACS/HRC
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.June 2002 - June 2003 (ACS), and June 1994 (FOC)
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.FOC: F278M (278nm) and F410M (410nm) ACS: F435W (B) and F555W (V)
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Pluto
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Dwarf Planet
- Release DateFebruary 4, 2010
- Science ReleaseNew Hubble Maps of Pluto Show Surface Changes
- Credit
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
